Testing Miss Toogood

February 7, 2005
Despite a promising premise, bestseller Cameron's underdeveloped Regency romance, the sequel to A Useful Affair
, disappoints. At the novel's outset, the second eldest of Reverend Toogood's five daughters, Fleur, travels to London as a charge of the Dowager Elliot in order to make a brilliant match that will improve the family fortunes. Fleur, however, has no intention of marrying unless she can find a man who meets all of the stringent requirements she has documented in "The List" (e.g., "Will he join me in learning exotic ways of lovemaking?"). The dowager instructs her youngest son, Dominic, to squire Miss Toogood to London's social events, much to his dismay. The dashing Dominic has other things on his mind, namely apprehending a man known as the Silken Cat, who kidnaps high society ladies and holds them for ransom. But as soon as Dominic meets Fleur, he knows that resisting her will be a challenge, especially when the spirited girl proves herself adept at meddling in his top secret business. Attempting to be both a romantic comedy and a dark thriller, the novel succeeds as neither, primarily because the mystery is poorly constructed. Though the romantic element is more approachable initially, sex too often stands in as a resolution to Fleur and Dominic's many conflicts, making their romance ultimately unsatisfying.

February 15, 2005
Dominic Elliot and his brother, Nathan, are trying to rid Regency-era London of a vile predator who calls himself the Silken Cat. He kidnaps young women, holds them overnight for ransom, promising to release them with virtue intact. When a maid is abducted in place of her mistress and her employers dismiss her, Dominic convinces his mother to hire her at the family manse. In order to make the deal work, Dominic agrees to take Fleur Toogood, the impoverished daughter of a country vicar, under his wing and find her a suitable husband. An independent young woman with high standards and a penchant for solving problems, Fleur spies on Dominic (who is finding no man worthy of her) and puts herself in the path of danger. Although entertaining enough, this historical lacks the steamy heat that Cameron brings into her popular contemporary suspense novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)